The Death of Santini

The Story of A Father and His Son

A powerful and intimate memoir from the author of "The Prince of Tides" and "The Great Santini." Pat Conroy's success as a writer has always been intimately linked with his family life. "The Great Santini" caused a long-simmering conflict to burst into the open, fracturing an already battered family. In the final years of Don Conroy's life, he and his son reached a rapprochement of sorts. "The Death of Santini" is a heart-wrenching account of personal and family struggle, and a poignant lesson on how ties of blood can both strangle and offer succor. It is an act of reckoning, an exorcism of demons, but one whose ultimate conclusion is that love can conquer even the meanest of men.

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If you've enjoyed Pat Conroy's books, this is a must read. Written in his beautiful prose style, you can see how his life progresses in relation to which novels he puts out and their impact on him. I loved reading the personal stories in his autobiography that I had read as a part of his fiction novels and thinking, "Ahhhh that's what happened!"

Feb 3, 2014, I've had this book on my waiting list forever, and renewed it twice, so I decided, now is the time for it. Starts off in Pat Conroy's great style, I know I'm goiing to enjoy it. Hope to find an audiobook to listen and read along to. Just checked, no audiobook yet. Darn it!......Feb 15, 2014, I'm on page 250, and although I have basically enjoyed this book, (which so far is about just about everyone in his family EXCEPT for his father!) I have found the last chapter, and the one I have just started, (about his sister Carol Ann,) a bit painful, to the point that I am procrastinating. A while ago, I commented (I believe while reading "The Great Santini") that I liked Pat Conroy's non-fiction better than his fiction. I take that back. "South of Broad" is my fav, by far!.....Feb 20, 2014..I have just finished this, and I must say it picked up a bit in the end, but all in all, I feel I know a little bit too much about Pat Conroy's family right now. I will look forward to his next novel, and I now understand his "San Francisco" part of "South of Broad," which has made reading this book worthwhile....he sure knows how to bare his soul. His lifestyle is sure a lot different than mine. If my parents had gone through the same illnesses, I know I (and my siblings,) would not have participated in the &quot;death watches&quot; quite as faithfully or as well organized. We sure don't throw such grand parties either. Mind you, they do and did have a bit of celebrity status, that might be the difference!